I wrapped my arms round myself instead of him, containing my fears. I was wearing an angora cardigan that Angela had said I could borrow for my holiday, and the fibres were fluffy under my fingers. I kissed my father quickly on the cheek, wanting the separation to be over if it couldn’t be avoided.

He gave me a wink. ‘That’s my girl.’

Now Angela leaned forward across the coffee tray and tapped me on the knee. ‘Not upset, I hope?’

I shook my head experimentally. ‘As you say, it’s a long time ago. But why didn’t he tell me?’

‘I don’t know, dear. Maybe you were the one thing he did have that he wanted to keep nice.’

Maybe, I thought.

‘He wasn’t a bad man, your dad, you know. He used to get carried away with all his ideas and he was so good at mixing his perfumes he probably didn’t understand why he couldn’t do some creative work on the money side as well. He couldn’t charm the law the way he could charm me, though, could he?’ Angela winked at me.

‘Thank you for telling me,’ I said.

I wanted to get away from here so I could weigh up what this new information meant. A con artist, my father was a perfumer and a con artist. That was how I had described him to Mel and it turned out to be closer to the truth than I knew.

I looked at my watch.

Angela shuffled to the door with me. She put her wide arms round me and kissed my cheek. I kissed her back, feeling the powdery softness of her skin.

‘I was always fond of you, Sadie.’

Angela had remembered my birthday until I was well into my twenties. She had noted all my changes of address since then and her Christmas cards still arrived faithfully every year. To me she had been just one of the procession of aunties, a better than average one it was true, but still one in a long line. I had meant more to her, perhaps simply because of my vulnerability that summer. The thought made me draw further inwards. I didn’t want the child I had left behind to be exposed to Angela’s pity. I didn’t even want to see myself in that light.

I rested my hands on her arms. My fingers seemed to sink down and down into the flesh.

‘I know, Angela. Thank you. I’ll try to be a better friend from now on.’

I made her promise that she would come and stay with Jack and Lola and me in London. In the autumn, maybe, when the cooler weather came, she said. Travel was too much for her when it was hot. She stood on the doorstep watching as I drove away.